About

I have known software from both sides: building it, and running a business that depends on it.

My background combines entrepreneurship, management, product and software engineering. Today, I use that experience to help teams design digital products that are simpler, more robust and more useful.

Portrait of Yohann Larbi
Yohann Larbi

From business to software

  1. BUSINESScustomers · team · margins · operations
  2. PRODUCTproblem · UX · value · metrics
  3. SOFTWAREarchitecture · code · delivery · scale

Chapter 1

Entrepreneur before engineer

Before writing software, I learned to run businesses: customers, teams, inventory, margins, operations.

What remains from those years: a sense of responsibility, service, customer relationships and decision-making under constraints — none of which is learned in an IDE.

Chapter 2

42 and software

The switch to engineering happened through the 42 school: peer learning, autonomy, problem-solving by practice.

What that school really teaches is systems thinking: understanding a complete system rather than applying a recipe.

Chapter 3

Building products

LiBlul, CryptoInvestYL, then freelance engagements: I designed complete products, from the first wireframe to the infrastructure running them.

I do not only build interfaces; I design systems used in a real business context.

Chapter 4

Engineering at scale

Several years of product engineering at a leading Swiss hosting and cloud scale-up: architecture, quality, performance, accessibility, collaboration with product and delivery teams.

What changes at scale: technical decisions become collective decisions. Documenting, challenging and measuring matter as much as coding.

Chapter 5

Today

Senior Software Consultant, available for targeted engagements in design, architecture, modernisation and automation.

Based in the canton of Vaud, comfortable remote or on-site, in French and English.

Working principles

  • Understand before building
  • Prefer simplicity
  • Challenge the need
  • Keep a business perspective
  • Document important decisions
  • Measure what matters
  • Build to last
  • Communicate directly

Education and community

42 Paris
Main technical education — peer learning, project-based, no lectures.
Devoxx France
Long-standing involvement in the tech community.

Curious about how I work?

Have a look at my case studies, or let’s talk directly about your context.